Quibi, the new premium short-form SVoD service, has launched globally, with a 90-day free trial set to be followed by subscription prices of $4.99 per month for its ad-supported tier and $7.99 for its ad-free tier.
Analysis of Quibi’s 40 titles at launch shows a diverse content strategy, with no single obvious stand-out genre. While its short-form, mobile-oriented content strategy is targeted at a younger audience, the early launch catalogue demonstrates a clear desire to attract returning daily audiences across a broad range of genre preferences – with the show formats and carefully curated talent providing the main points of differentiation.
Upcoming commissions show that Quibi offering is looking to grow quickly. The launch catalogue represents roughly a third of Quibi’s overall commissions, with a further 89 series currently in production and 18 titles in early development.
However, with Quibi’s content due to be released either every weekday or daily (with one show twice daily), it is likely the current COVID-19 pandemic will prove particularly impactful on Quibi’s production process. Social distancing measures currently in place across the globe are significantly hindering productions requiring in-studio collaboration. Without a back catalogue of shows to fall back on – and given that Quibi’s innovative show formats and its much anticipated ‘Turn Style’ viewing make acquiring third party content challenging – an extended lockdown could impact Quibi’s strategy.